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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same...

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same narrative unfolded on a cricket field, the reaction would have been dramatically different. In cricket, even defeat often becomes a story of heroism. A hard-fought loss by the Indian team can dominate television debates, fill newspaper columns and trend across social media for days. A player who narrowly misses a milestone is still hailed for his fighting spirit. The nation rallies around its cricketers not only in victory but also in defeat. The narrative quickly shifts from the result to the effort -- the resilience shown, the fight put up, the promise of future triumph. This emotional investment is one of the reasons cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity in India. It has built a culture where players become household names and their performances, good or bad, become part of the national conversation. Badminton Fights Contrast that with what happens in sports like badminton. Reaching the final of the All England Championships is a monumental achievement. The tournament is widely considered badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in prestige and tradition. Only the very best players manage to reach its final stages, and doing it twice speaks volumes about Lakshya Sen’s ability and consistency. Yet the reaction in India remained largely subdued. There were congratulatory posts, some headlines acknowledging the effort and brief discussions among badminton enthusiasts. But the level of national engagement never quite matched the magnitude of the achievement. In a cricketing context, reaching such a stage would have triggered days of celebration and analysis. In badminton, it often becomes just another sports update. Long Wait India’s wait for an All England champion continues. The last Indian to win the title was Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had scripted history in 1980. These victories remain among the most significant milestones in Indian badminton. And yet, unlike cricketing triumphs that are frequently revisited and celebrated, such achievements rarely stay in the mainstream sporting conversation for long. Lakshya Sen’s journey to the final should ideally have been viewed as a continuation of that legacy, a reminder that India still possesses the talent to challenge the world’s best in badminton. Instead, it risks fading quickly from public memory. Visibility Gap The difference ultimately comes down to visibility and cultural investment. Cricket in India is not merely a sport; it is an ecosystem built over decades through media attention, sponsorship, and mass emotional attachment. Individual sports, on the other hand, often rely on momentary bursts of recognition, usually during Olympic years or when a medal is won. But consistent performers like Lakshya Sen rarely receive the sustained spotlight that their achievements deserve. This disparity can also influence the next generation. Young athletes are naturally drawn to sports where success brings recognition, financial stability and national fame. When one sport monopolises the spotlight, others struggle to build similar appeal. Beyond Result Lakshya Sen may have finished runner-up again, but his performance at the All England Championship is a reminder that India continues to produce world-class athletes in disciplines beyond cricket. The real issue is not that cricket receives immense attention -- it deserves the admiration it gets. The concern is that athletes from other sports often do not receive comparable appreciation for achievements that are equally significant in their own arenas. If India aspires to become a truly global sporting nation, its applause must grow broader. Sporting pride cannot remain confined to one field. Because somewhere on a badminton court, an athlete like Lakshya Sen is fighting just as hard for the country’s colours as any cricketer on a packed stadium pitch. The only difference is how loudly the nation chooses to cheer.

Down the memory lane

Centenarian recalls his days with Ambedkar

Chhatrapati Sambhajingar: As the country gears up to celebrate Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's 134th birth anniversary, a centenarian from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who once gave up a steady job with the railways to briefly serve the Dalit leader, shares how that experience continues to define his life.


Despite age catching up on him, 103-year-old Laxman Khotkar still remembers, with vivid detail, the six to seven years he spent serving the architect of the Constitution in newly independent India.


In 1948, Khotkar was employed as a gate watchman with Nizam's State Railways when he got an opportunity to work at the Subhedari Circuit Guest House, where Ambedkar stayed intermittently during the construction of Milind College, which he founded in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. "I was posted with the Railways in Shernapur (a railway gate north of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). I found out that Babasaheb was building a college, and I left the railway job in a heartbeat and came to the college site, requesting the contractor, Appasaheb Gaikwad and one Mr Warale to hire me," he says.


Khotkar says he took on the job of a watchman and handyman for Rs 1.5 per day just out of his love and admiration for Ambedkar.


"I earned Rs 15 per month in my railway job. However, I was paid Rs 1.5 a day at the college. There was no guarantee of work every day, and the income wasn't steady. My family was small, and in those days, 16 kg of jowar cost Rs 1, which was enough for us."


Khotkar says he took care of Ambedkar's daily routine and needs during his visits to the city.


"I would be informed of Babasaheb's visits beforehand and would take care of everything for him during his stay," he says with pride.


Ambedkar was a considerate and caring man, Khotkar says.


"Babasaheb would always ask us if we had had our meals and even asked his driver Maruti and me to have breakfast with him."


Khotkar recalls that Ambedkar was a workaholic and would work late into the night and be up by 5 am. "Once, I left for duty at the guesthouse without having my meal. My wife arrived at the gate carrying my infant son and waited for me patiently with food. Babasaheb spotted her and jokingly asked if she thought her husband would be starved at work," Khotkar says.

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